Immigration Enforcement
Featured Content
Restoring Credibility and Humanity
- Interior Enforcement
- May 12, 2026
A new framework for U.S. immigration enforcement that prioritizes public safety, fairness, accountability, and humane, proportionate consequences. Read More
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House Members Question and Criticize Rather Than Act to Change Immigration Policies
Two hearings in the House of Representatives today were unfortunate examples of how the chamber is looking back rather than forward on immigration. In his first House hearing before the Homeland Security committee, Secretary Jeh Johnson laid out his vision for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which… Read More
Recent Report on Deportation Misses the Big Picture
The Obama administration has deported nearly 2 million people so far, and it still has two years left to go. This would seem to indicate that the U.S. immigration enforcement machine is running at top speed. However, a report from Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC)—as well… Read More
States Make Progress on Helping DREAMers Afford College
For several years now, more and more states have begun to allow undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition at public colleges and universities. In fact, a majority of young undocumented immigrants now live in a state that offers tuition equity regardless of immigration status. In 2014, additional… Read More
Obama Can’t Escape Immigration at North American Summit
One would be hard pressed to engage in a discussion about U.S.-Mexico relations and not have the topic of immigration raise its head in a matter of minutes. Immigration is a critically important aspect of the relationship between the two countries, intersecting virtually every topic imaginable, from agriculture to… Read More
Fremont’s Anti-Immigrant Ordinance Out of Step with Other Cities in Nebraska
Last week, the residents of Fremont, Nebraska voted to keep a 2010 anti-immigrant housing ordinance on the books. While the small town, with a seven percent foreign born population, has chosen to continue down its current path of exclusion, other places in Nebraska are pursuing inclusive strategies… Read More
Justice Department’s Losing Battle Over Deportation Waivers for Permanent Residents
For more than five years, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has defended a policy that deprives long-term lawful permanent residents (LPRs) of the opportunity to apply for a waiver that would allow them to remain in the United States. The waiver—known as the 212(h) waiver (referring to section 212(h)… Read More
Farm Bureau Warns Enforcement-Only Immigration Reform Would Harm America’s Food Supply
The on-the-ground harm of enforcement-only state immigration policies is clear. The “self-deportation” style laws in Arizona, Alabama, and Georgia all dealt severe blows to the states’ economies, particularly the agricultural industries. A federal enforcement-only approach to immigration reform would have a similarly harmful impact, leading… Read More
Petition Challenges DHS on Enforcement Priorities
Last week, the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) along with six individuals, submitted a formal request to the Department of Homeland Security asking the agency to temporarily suspend the deportation of low-priority undocumented workers and their families and grant them “deferred… Read More
New Mexico Governor Uses Anti-Immigrant Driver’s License Proposal as Fundraising Tool
Joan Friedland is a senior advisor at the National Immigration Law Center. For the fifth time in four years, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez is trying to get the legislature to repeal the 2003 law granting licenses to all eligible drivers, regardless of their immigration status. There’s… Read More
The Washington Post Exposes Sorry State of Immigration Courts
This week, the Washington Post ran a front page article drawing attention to the fact that our nation’s immigration courts are operating in crisis mode. The immigration courts are so overcrowded that judges are forced to make split-second decisions regarding complex legal issues, calling into question whether the court system is fairly administering justice. The article featured a morning in the life of one immigration judge who had 26 cases to hear before lunchtime. That equates to an average of just seven minutes per case. Given the high stakes involved in deportation cases—which can range from permanent separation from family in the United States to being returned to a country where a person fears for his or her life—a system that is overburdened and under-resourced is simply unacceptable. Read More
America's story is an immigrant story.